[meteorite-list] Thuathe report from the field.

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From: Mike <Mike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:30 2004
Message-ID: <002801c2dd94$bc9b7c40$6401a8c0_at_ATTBI.com>

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Hello everyone. Eric and I are back in South Africa,
safe and sound, exhausted, but happy.=20
I want to explain a little about this meteorite in
response to Matteo and Joel Warren's emails.=20
First for Matteo. Yes, the photos of the material that
you saw in the Hupe's photos looks a little bit weathered. I saw
all of the material first hand in Tucson so I know
exactly what it looks like. The meteorite fell in
Lesotho, (get a map Matteo), many thousands of
kilometers from North Africa, a little far for nomads
to try and pull a scam I would think? Anyway, this is=20
a very mountainous region, and this year was
apparently a record rainfall year. The area where the
meteorite fell is partly on a high plateau, and partly
in a valley. The strewnfield is almost 5 miles long by
2 miles wide. Several small villages and a satellite
tracking station are in the middle of it. The area is
full of small ponds and farmland, cabbage and
cornfields. The stones are still being found, but it
is high summer here, allot of rain and irrigation for
the fields, so many stones are now weathered just as
would be expected. The meteorite was seen and heard
to fall by thousands of people all over the entire
country of Lesotho and part of South Africa. The day
was 80% clouded so it was only broken visibility of
the fireball and smoke trail. Due to this, the
university took almost 3 weeks to find the actual
strewnfield. This happened when the local police
report came out, once per month. In it there was=20
report that some villagers reported to the police that
someone had thrown stones from the sky at them. The
police of course had no idea whom to charge, so they
just reported it.=20
When the scientists at the university saw that, they
immediately went to the villages and began recovering
the meteorites and mapping the strewnfield. This was
late August, almost one month after the fall.=20
These small villages are tiny, only a few houses, the
people there have no time to waste on stones, so they
soon forgot about the event until the university
people came to collect and buy the stones. Then of
course, everyone was out finding as many as they
could.=20
Eric and I spent an entire day at the university
discussing the fall with them, pouring over maps and
papers, and viewing the collection log of stones
recovered. They have listed 490 stones, completely
catalogued as to where recovered, by whom, size,
dimensions etc. Extremely thorough data collection.
We have logged in the stones we recovered and
submitted that data to the university in order to keep
the data as complete as possible. We also got some of
the meteorites that the university collected along
with all data about them.=20
This fall will be one of the best with complete
strewnfield mapping, logs for many stones, and written
reports. So Matteo and Joel, I would NOT consider these
people to be uneducated third world idiots.=20
By the way, the meteorite is pronounced (too-wa-tea),
and Lesotho is pronounced (less-ooo-too).
 Eric and I have many stones, almost all are
absolutely gorgeous. Black and no weathering. Many
have been held back by the people, because
unfortunately, the local people buying before us were paying
10 rand and 20 rand for the larger stones. This is
about $1.25 for stones of several hundred grams! When
we arrived, we found helpful locals and they told us
to pay well or we would see no stones. When we offered
the money, people gasped at the amount we offered, it
was many months wages per stone, some enough to build
entire houses. So by paying well, we got stones that
had been held back by the people for months. Almost
nothing Eric and I have shows much weathering at all.=20
There are almost no large stones in this fall over 500
grams. Most are in the 20 to 50 gram range. Very few
oriented stones, but a couple.=20
The area has been well hunted, not many stones left to
find out there. I have calculated along with the
scientists and found that the approximate recovered
weight is now about 33 to 36 kilograms. Undoubtedly a
few more kilos is on the very rough terrain to be
found, but not much more than a few kilos.=20
This meteorite is Lesotho's first meteorite, and a
witnessed fall, so it is a great day for that small
beautiful country and for meteorite collectors.=20
The name Thuathe should be accepted, as it is the
major landmark for the strewnfield (the plateau) and
the villages are tiny.=20
Count your pennies and get ready to see some beautiful
stones when we get home this weekend.=20
There isn't that much to go around, so this fall will
disappear rapidly from the market.=20
I will of course, be reporting more about our
adventure later and have taken many photographs.=20

Michael Farmer
Eric Olson,=20
Meteorite Hunters

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<DIV>Hello everyone. Eric and I are back in South Africa, safe and =
sound,=20
exhausted, but happy. I want to explain a little about this =
meteorite=20
in response to Matteo and Joel Warren's emails. First for Matteo. =
Yes,=20
the photos of the material that you saw in the Hupe's =
photos looks a=20
little bit weathered. I saw all of the material first hand in =
Tucson so=20
I know exactly what it looks like. The meteorite fell in Lesotho, =
(get a=20
map Matteo), many thousands of kilometers from North Africa, a little =
far for=20
nomads to try and pull a scam I would think? Anyway, this is a =
very=20
mountainous region, and this year was apparently a record rainfall =
year. The=20
area where the meteorite fell is partly on a high plateau, and =
partly in a=20
valley. The strewnfield is almost 5 miles long by 2 miles wide. =
Several small=20
villages and a satellite tracking station are in the middle of it. =
The area=20
is full of small ponds and farmland, cabbage and cornfields. The =
stones=20
are still being found, but it is high summer here, allot of rain and=20
irrigation for the fields, so many stones are now weathered just =
as would=20
be expected.  The meteorite was seen and heard to fall by =
thousands of=20
people all over the entire country of Lesotho and part of South =
Africa. The=20
day was 80% clouded so it was only broken visibility of the =
fireball and=20
smoke trail. Due to this, the university took almost 3 weeks to find =
the=20
actual strewnfield. This happened when the local police report =
came out,=20
once per month. In it there was report that some villagers reported =
to the=20
police that someone had thrown stones from the sky at them. =
The police of=20
course had no idea whom to charge, so they just reported it. When =
the=20
scientists at the university saw that, they immediately went to the =
villages=20
and began recovering the meteorites and mapping the strewnfield. This =

was late August, almost one month after the fall. These small =
villages=20
are tiny, only a few houses, the people there have no time to waste =
on=20
stones, so they soon forgot about the event until the =
university people=20
came to collect and buy the stones. Then of course, everyone was out =
finding=20
as many as they could. Eric and I spent an entire day at the=20
university discussing the fall with them, pouring over maps =
and papers,=20
and viewing the collection log of stones recovered. They have listed =
490=20
stones, completely catalogued as to where recovered, by whom,=20
size, dimensions etc. Extremely thorough data collection. We have =
logged=20
in the stones we recovered and submitted that data to the university =
in order=20
to keep the data as complete as possible. We also got some of the=20
meteorites that the university collected along with all data about =
them.=20
 This fall will be one of the best with complete strewnfield =
mapping, logs=20
for many stones, and written reports. So Matteo and Joel, I would=20
NOT consider these people to be uneducated third world idiots. =
 By=20
the way, the meteorite is pronounced (too-wa-tea), and Lesotho is =
pronounced=20
(less-ooo-too).      Eric and I have many stones, =
almost=20
all are absolutely gorgeous. Black and no weathering. Many have =
been held=20
back by the people, because unfortunately, the local people =
buying=20
before us were paying 10 rand and 20 rand for the larger stones. This =

is about $1.25 for stones of several hundred grams! When we =
arrived, we=20
found helpful locals and they told us to pay well or we would see no =
stones.=20
When we offered the money, people gasped at the amount we offered, =
it was=20
many months wages per stone, some enough to build entire houses. So =
by paying=20
well, we got stones that had been held back by the people for months. =

Almost nothing Eric and I have shows much weathering at all. =
 There are=20
almost no large stones in this fall over 500 grams. Most are in the =
20 to 50=20
gram range. Very few oriented stones, but a couple. The area has =
been=20
well hunted, not many stones left to find out there. I have =
calculated along=20
with the scientists and found that the approximate =
recovered weight is now=20
about 33 to 36 kilograms. Undoubtedly a few more kilos is on the very =
rough=20
terrain to be found, but not much more than a few kilos. This =
meteorite=20
is Lesotho's first meteorite, and a witnessed fall, so it is a great =
day for=20
that small beautiful country and for meteorite collectors. The =
name=20
Thuathe should be accepted, as it is the major landmark for the =
strewnfield=20
(the plateau) and the villages are tiny. Count your pennies and =
get ready=20
to see some beautiful stones when we get home this weekend. There =
isn't=20
that much to go around, so this fall will disappear rapidly from the =
market.=20
 I will of course, be reporting more about our adventure later and =
have=20
taken many photographs. Michael Farmer Eric Olson, =
 Meteorite=20
Hunters </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Wed 26 Feb 2003 07:44:00 AM PST

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